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Link Locally, Connect GloballyTue, 31 Mar 2015 15:13:55 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Federal Contractors: Don’t Sit on Your Certshttp://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/blog/2014/05/03/federal-contractors-dont-sit-on-your-certs/
http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/blog/2014/05/03/federal-contractors-dont-sit-on-your-certs/#commentsSat, 03 May 2014 14:47:15 +0000http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/?p=151825The Federal Sales Sherpa, Eileen Kent, says, “Businesses which have gone through the trouble of registering at Sam.gov, as well as becoming certified as an 8a contractor, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned business, a HubZone or an Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned business, must have jumped through a lot of hoops to get their certifications.”

“And then,” she says, “Many vendors who have obtained these certifications sit on their …. well .. certifications and they don’t do anything else but wait for the business. It’s not going to happen – without action.”

SELLING TO THE GOVERNMENT TAKES ACTION

Those businesses who have certifications and contracting vehicles, Kent calls “Bridges” to avoid the “Raging River of Rules” (FedBizOpps.gov) — have an opportunity to drive traffic across those bridges.

“But nothing is going to happen if a business sits and waits for people in the federal government to discover them. Nothing is going to happen if the business trolls through the public bid sites writing loser blind bids that just pop up. By the time it hits these public sites, it’s too late,” she says. “Finally – the truth is told. Five percent of blind bids win. Not one out of twenty, five percent each time. That really means zero. Would a savvy business executive drop money on those odds on a roulette table? Then why would they bet their team’s time and heart on such odds? If I’ve kept one business from writing one loser bid, then I’ve saved someone a lot of grief….up to $65K in a four-week loser proposal effort.”

Action means initiative and a person willing to take the business to the next level. Unless a business knows where to go, they stand still, paralyzed, waiting and waiting and waiting……

Kent says, “New businesses in the federal contracting arena need to understand that their first step to winning, is to see where the competition is winning contracts, how they’re winning the contracts and with what agencies. That can be performed with a detailed competitive analysis because the intelligence is out there.” A business can do this any number of ways. They can go to FPDS or visit USASpending….They can pay for a subscription service to uncover the intelligence. But, Kent warns, the data is difficult to understand. “A business still has to know what to DO with the intelligence, and then when it is understood and a plan is built as a result, the sales team, owners, and project managers need to hit the field, pick up the phone, attend the trade shows and let the world know that the business is open for federal contracting, teaming and partnering,” says Kent.

FAR 15.201 says “Exchanges of information among all interested parties, from the earliest identification of the requirement through receipt of proposals, are encouraged.” Kent says, “Stop Sitting on Certifications! No matter if a business has one owner doing it all, or a hundred on a team, the fear to execute federal sales actions before the bid comes out sinks wannabe federal contractors every single day.”

For More Information:

If you’d like more information about “The Federal Sales Sherpa” and the three-step, one-on-one federal sales action plan service, click on this LINKand you can get in contact with The Federal Sales Sherpa: Eileen Kent or call her at 312-636-5381.

As a public service to the industry, “The Federal Sales Sherpa” has posted 15 hours of a talk show featuring all the experts in federal contracting – the experts we would consider “the real deal” – check it out (LINK)

Do the current economic conditions frighten you? Does the thought of risk-taking keep you paralyzed from confidently going forward with business opportunities?

If so, you’re probably not alone, but you don’t need to be either. Times are exciting with new dynamics and entrepreneurial enterprises according to our guest, Steve Jenkins, CEcD (Certified Economic Developer), IAMC (Fellow, Industrial Asset Management Council), & President at Fond du Lac County (WI) Economic Development Corporation (FCEDC). Steve shares his expertise in strategic planning and implementation, marketing, business attraction, existing business retention and expansion, and entrepreneurial development.

FCEDC’s mission, according to their website is to “Aggressively pursue, promote and facilitate economic opportunities and growth for Fond du Lac County through the attraction, retention, expansion and development of jobs and investments that increase the standard of living for all communities and residents.”

They accomplish that directive by maintaining 3 top priorities, which apply across counties and the country to all business communities seeking opportunities for a robust economic environment.

As Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation, states, “Healthy communities, successful companies, a strong economy — these are all within our viewfinder and are the milestones by which we measure our success. Our expertise and resources allow you to view the future from a whole new vantage point.” In addition to a strong Mission and Vision statements, FCEDC is also committed to core values in the areas of Servant Leadership, Collaboration, Accountability, Integrity, andInnovation.

Gwyneth should’ve stopped at a respectable place in the interview about her split from Chris Martin, but she didn’t. She had to add:

“I think it’s different when you have an office job, because it’s routine and, you know, you can do all the stuff in the morning and then you come home in the evening. When you’re shooting a movie, they’re like, ‘We need you to go to Wisconsin for two weeks,’ and then you work 14 hours a day and that part of it is very difficult. I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set.”

The best part of that — Wisconsin got a shout out, to boot. If I knew there was all that filming going on and that actresses were beckoned here to the Badger State on a regular basis, I’d gladly throw my name in the hat as a fill-in for the no-show when mother duty demanded the attention of the A-listers to stay home! I jest. Kind of.

As out of touch with most women’s reality as Paltrow’s comments were and how spot on NYPost’s Dawson’s truthful zingers were in rebuttal, at the heart of both points of view from these two moms are the 3 challenges most all mothers face — balancing Parenting, Work, & Marriage/Significant Other relationships.

In a hint of desperation, you can almost hear Paltrow saying, “I’m on break to be with my kids” like Ross in Friends famous “We were on a break” episode. (Still one of the best tv moments ever!)

Taking a break to be with your kids is a almost always a wise decision, especially if you or your children are going through a particularly rough patch like Gwyneth is in the “uncoupling” of her marriage to Coldplays’ front man and father of her children . For most moms, however, unlike Paltrow, making this decision to shift commitments to a more primary focus on parenting weighs heavier because of the loss of income, or the set-back it may mean to a career track. Working moms, married or single, and Stay-At-Home Moms (SAHMs) (&/or dads) need to decide what best suits individual circumstances as a parent and a person.

For my first decade+ of parenting (of 30 years at it) I was primarily an at-home mom devoted to supporting my (ex-)husband’s career, raising our 5 children (yes, 5 meaning I was pregnant or nursing for about a stretch of 11 years), and building a solid foundation for our homelife. Then life changed irreversibly in 2000 and I found myself a single-mother of 5 children (ages 6-16 at the time) with a non-present ex-husband (across the country in L.A.), buried under the rubble of our imploded dream.

I dug out and became a single-working mother for the next decade+, including going back to night school for a few years to finish the college degree I abandoned as a young bride. 14 hour days would’ve been a blessing. But like many other women when faced with adversity — I pushed myself relentlessly. I spread myself as thinly as possible to the point of nonexistence, making more than my share of mistakes.

And my kids suffered.

That’s the nerve for most every mother — the source of the knee-jerk reaction to Paltrow’s perceived whining. But rather than be a judger, all mom’s can listen to what is the meaning behind her words. She’s honest in saying, “I need to hunker down on the homefront and heal.”

Does Gwyneth have a greater luxury to do so without feeling the financial pain? Of course. The economic impact is also at the heart of the issue and rather than women beating each other up (articulated well by HuffPost’s Liz O’Donnell here) — we need to keep looking, insisting,and finding ways to make the work and home life balance better.

And we make choices.

My youngest daughter, Grace, in Brussels, Belgium

In 2011, after all but one of my children had grown and were gone (kids grow way too fast even when days seem so long), I quit my job to go to Germany and teach. As a bonus, my youngest daughter was able to attend an International high school — a game changing experience for her future education and career. Since she was 6 yrs. old in 2000, all she ever knew was a stressed, struggling, single-working mom. But in Europe, even though we were even more financially strained because I only received a small stipended & the euro exchange was a killer, we had the most precious time together that I wouldn’t trade for a fraction of Paltrow’s celebrity salary. My mom soul rested, re-invested in my child, and was restored. My body caught up on a decade of lost sleep. My youngest is now off to college, and I’m an empty-nester. For the first time since I turned 20 yrs old, I have to figure out what I’m going to be as a grown-up other than “just mom”. It’s simultaneously scary, exciting, and challenging, but I’m bolstered by the return on my mom investment every time I check in with my young adult kids who turned out pretty darn amazing.

My Fab 5! #ProudMama

So maybe, give Gwyneth a break.

On the other hand… When it comes to parenting, most mom’s are hard pressed to be sympathetic to celebrity mom’s “challenges” — after all, it’s comes with the territory for which they’re well paid and afforded luxuries most mommies can only wish for. That’s never more true than when it’s a Kardashian — masters at creating a media circus to serve their purpose, but have a problem with it if it’s not on their terms. Doesn’t, nor should it, work that way– you can’t have both!

Listen LIVE every Wednesday at 10:00am Central Time, or anytime after the show airs via the link — all our shows are recorded for archival listens. You can also listen via phone by dialing-in to 1-323-580-5755. If you have a comment or question*, dial-in to 1-323-580-5755 then press 1 to get into the host cue. (*Some show interviews are pre-recorded due to the guests time availability.)

Tamara Leigh, Host of Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON and founder of TamaraLeighLLC.com A Communications Expertise Company

I love when smart and style are synonymous — when fashion fuses with function.

To borrow the phrase from the trending Ford commercials, “And is better”, this is especially true when it comes to choices of wardrobe AND an active lifestyle… as in “Do I wear heels AND walk rather than drive?” or “Do I wear a dress AND ride my bike?”

My answer is almost always yes (barring the polar vortex of 2014), and admittedly, I put thought into what to wear based on both the look and practicality, such as buying pumps with straps for a more secure fit that can stand up to excursions like shopping every inch of Chicago’s Magnificent Milealler à pied.

When I lived in Germany, we biked and walked everywhere, as is the European way — unlike in America, where we tend to separate our exercise (and athletic wear) from the rest of our daily routine. (I do cheat on casual days by wearing “dress” workout clothes to coffee or errands because you get a pass for not being completely put together if it looks like you just came from the gym.)

Evident in every city we travelled from Zurich to Amsterdam to Vienna, the streets were filled with commuters dressed for work riding their bicycles or walking to or from the trains. Not surprising then, to discover that a pair of graduate students out of Sweden created the innovative Hövding Invisible Helmet. Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, like me, had a justifiable fashion-comfort aversion to bike helmets. Who doesn’t hate smashed hat-hair? Ok, bald people, yes, but the rest of us do.

As documented in the video by Fredrik Gertten, the pair of Scandinavian female entrepreneurs who designed the “air bag helmet” worn not on your head, but stylishly around your neck, declare “Cars are so yesterday. Bikes are the future.”

Thankfully, the Europeans aren’t the only ones with active fashion-forward thinking.

My affection for the well-appointed man is what caught my attention of the San Francisco based up and coming menswear company, Parker Dusseau, with it’s impeccable business showpiece, the commuter suit, that is designed not only for style, but also for movement, particularly on a bicycle. Genius details such as hidden zipper vents in the suit coat sleeves, reflective piping on the underside of the collars and cuffs for night time biking visibility, and trouser leg buttons to prevent chain chew while pedaling, in addition to merino wool fabric blend for stretch and breathability, are all components of the smart Parker Dusseau commuter suit.

Perhaps it’s the French origin of the family name, as founder of Parker Dusseau, Vaughn Brown, explained as my guest last week

Vaughn Brown, Founder & company namesake, Parker Dussea

on Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON (listen here). An active outdoors enthusiast with an affinity for fashion, Vaughn launched his company to capture the new Renaissance Man that his uncle & company namesake, Parker Dusseau embodied.

In his lifetime, Parker Dusseau (pronounced “Do SO” or as Vaughn says, “Do SEW”) was a Harvard-educated, successful financial professional forging a path in San Francisco. The late Parker Dusseau was the force behind San Francisco’s first fly-fisherman’s club and the first female bicyclist club, as well as a being a passionate pursuer of world travel, urban exploration, an original foodie, wine & fine dining connoisseur, and an accomplished athlete from sailor, to skier, hiker, surfer, and, according to Vaughn, perpetually a biker.

In creating “Performance Fashionwear”, Vaughn says, “the brand honors Parker Dusseau’s spirit: a love of the outdoors, an elegant sense of style and a gregarious approach to life. The apparel brand celebrates family and an active life by combining timeless fabrics, tailored fits and technical features in clothes built to allow men to go from their bikes to the board room to after hours social business.”

It also just so happened Parker Dusseau’s newest store arrived in Portland two weeks ago, mid-February 2014 — the same week I did to visit three of my college kids who live in and love Portland for it’s urban-outdoors scene that Parker Dusseau inspires. It’s a good fit for the brand inside one of the cities most popular bike shops, West End Bikes (where I stopped in the SW district to snap a few pics). Parker Dusseau also has retail space in southern Cal, inside Bike Effect in Santa Monica. Orders can also be placed on line at ParkerDusseau.com– for the commuter suit, shirts, trousers, and soon, their new PD outerwear — which with Portland’s reputation for rain, will be yet another welcome fashion and function addition.

Obviously, West Coast folks are fortunate to be able to commute year-round. Short of designing snow tires, and a heated cabin in a hybrid bike/car design, there’s not much style hope to hang onto in the harsh midwest winters… though I would love to be the kind of innovative female entrepreneuer like Haupt & Alstin and create a peddaled yet warmly enclosed carcycle. AND I’d definitely like to enlist Vaughn Brown of Parker Dusseau to design an anywhere near stylish “commuter parka”.

What fashion alteration would you make to adapt your wardrobe to your lifestyle?

Join us this week for #TamaraLeighsTrendOn guests #JeffEngel of #EngelsOutdoorsExperience & #DanielandDoreaDuToit of #KolobeSafaris #Africa

In the lull weekend before #SuperbowlXLVIII match-up between the Denver Broncos (my 2nd favorite team) and the Seattle Seahawks (not a fan of the #badrefcall #Touchception against my #Packers, but am a fan of former #Badgers QB #RussellWilson ) and with 2013’s Superbowl airing no less than 5 politically underscored commercials, and with this year […]

]]>http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/blog/2014/01/26/how-were-last-weeks-nfl-playoffs-like-politics-in-america/feed/0What Knowledge Do You Need to be Successful in 2014?http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/blog/2014/01/04/what-knowledge-do-you-need-to-be-successful-in-2014/
http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/blog/2014/01/04/what-knowledge-do-you-need-to-be-successful-in-2014/#commentsSun, 05 Jan 2014 05:26:27 +0000http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/?p=132546

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so” quipped Mark Twain, the great American humorist and social commentator.

In sorting out what you know, what you don’t know, what you need to know, and what you know that ain’t so, my Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON guest, Dr. Deborah Osgood, President and CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer) of The Knowledge Institute shared a wealth of information to empower “business tl trend on knowledge instprofessionals, start-ups, the entrepreneurs, government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, individuals, and academic instititutions.”

Dr. Deborah Osgood, President & CKO of The Knowledge Institute

As Deborah explained, knowledge, or the lack of it, can have a tremendous impact on the success of your business, but knowing where to go to find information can be overwhelming. That’s where the Knowledge Institute comes in. According to their website, “The Knowledge Institute specializes in entrepreneurial education and small business development through innovative learning systems, virtual resource communities and public/private assistance networks.”

Arising out of Deborah’s own experience in turning companies around, she says empowerment and profits come from positive action steps, implementing processes that work, and engaging people as a valuable resource. “Growing or determining your business doesn’t organically emerge out of a business plan,” Deborah suggests, “but rather out of an intuitive energy that leads to implementation of a plan for success.”

And within that learning curve, there’s a plethora of resources, often free, to assist in so many ways, like Buzzgate.org, an award-winning public service initiative created to facilitate awareness, access and use of America’s government and nonprofit small business assistance programs on a national scale.

What do you want and need to know to get started and succeed? Listen and learn from Dr. Deborah Osgood to hear more on her views on the current state of small businesses in America, entrepreneurial education and resources, and about her consulting and inbound marketing services.

There’s a handful of handsome men in the public arena who need no adornment to turn heads, but since their “uniform” week after week is a suit and tie, I’ve been compelled to blog and tweet about 2 words: pocket squares.

Not meant to be critical, but in writing about fashion and working as an image/style consultant, particularly in #menswear, I appreciate that those two little words speak so well when placed with distinction as the finishing detail on a man’s chest.

If you’re not convinced, try this little trick learned from JHilburn Custom Luxury Menswear: put your finger over the pocket square in the pics here or if you’re the guy – look in the mirror (or take a couple selfies) with and without the #pocketsquare. You should see a noticeable difference.

As a trends enthusiast, especially in fashion, I’m happy to see the apparent increase in attention pocket squares are enjoying as we close out 2013. With customization of everything from iphones, playlists, cars and home entertainment systems, fashion remains a frontier for exploration and personal expression.

The pocket square is to menswear what jewelry or accessories are to a women’s wardrobe. It’s effectiveness lies in its subtle presence that gives a pop of color, a creative eye-catching 2, 3, or 4 points or puff fold, or a Don Draper-esque classic white line that complements the rest of the overall ensemble and color scheme of sport or suit coat, shirt, tie, sweater, vest, or any combination thereof.

Granted, there are times when it’s more of a statement to go with less. Gwyneth Paltrow’s bare neck, sans jewels, in the stunning, yet understated white Tom Ford Oscar dress, is a perfect example, so men need not always sport a pocket square every time they put on a suit coat. However, more often than not, leaving that detail unattended to is a missed opportunity to add extra pizzazz. Even in a more casual context with sport coat but no tie, a pocket square articulates a higher level of sophistication.

The options are plentiful from colors, patterns, textures, and fabrics, with silk being the most popular, and in summer, a crisp linen is a must-have. With this plethora of possibilities, pocket squares can contrast or compliment both pattern and/or color of the tie, shirt, or suit coat.

In stocking up a pocket squares collection, approach it in the same way as building other wardrobe essentials–with a number of basic whites, solid colors, then the wide range of designs in stripes, checks, paisley, dotted, themed designs or artistic originals. Christmas is the perfect time to toss pocket squares into the gift-giving tie-tradition or the perfect stocking stuffers for the fashionable man on your list.

Pocket Squares. Two simple, yet so stylish, words.

Two more: Happy Holidays!

With my pocket square obsession, I’ve been tracking certain announcers, particularly during #NFL football games for their fashion statement. Who do you think wears a pocket square well?

As my Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON* guest Kim Bookless, Publishing Consultant, Writer, and Editor shares, the reasons people look to publishing their stories are as varied as there are subjects to write about.

Kim Bookless, Publishing Consultant, Writer, Editor

If you’ve wanted to jump into the pool of Self-Publishing, but are afraid of getting in over your head, Kim Bookless (yes, that’s her real name) offers these tips and areas to consider in taking that book from manuscript to finished product to marketing.

One of the first steps, according to Kim, is determining whether you want or should pursue traditional methods of publishing which historically has meant finding a publisher and agent, relinquishing much of the control and profits to the publishers, and relying on the publisher’s promotional strategy to market your book. In this model, typically the author writes the book/content then turns it over to the publishers and their processes, and the author’s involvement is constrained to the front end and passively collecting a smaller percentage of the sales. This has been a tough road to travel with much less success.

The good news, Kim notes, is that as the internet has drastically transformed the publishing industry, the opportunities for Self-Publishing are so much more prevalent, however, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need to rely on professionals or those with inside knowledge of the how to’s, like Kim. Not only is she well versed in the process from start to finish, but Kim also knows the value of consulting and utilizing professional help along the way.

The important things to consider in Self-Publishing include whether to produce an old-school actual physical book, or would an e-Book be the better option for your subject and marketing. Another crucial decision that many authors scrimp on, to their detriment, is in hiring a professional editor. The value of hiring an editor as another “set of eyes” and for their objective, critical evaluation (in style, format, voice, structure) cannot be overstated in the ultimate success of the book, says Kim.

A few more highlights from Kim’s expertise include the marketing side from cover design, building your following even before the book is published, web presence and social platforms to create buzz about your book, and maximizing the monetization of your masterpiece.

Kim Bookless’s Chicago Self-Publishing Meet Up Club

In addition to her Publishing Consulting Services, Kim co-founded the Chicago Self-Publishing Meetup Group consisting of aspiring authors, publishing industry professionals, and curiosity seekers on how to create a book. The group meets downtown Chicago area every other month and offers members free resources, presentations, guest speakers, and panel discussions.
For more info check our websites: http://kimbookless.com/; http://tamaraleighllc.com/; http://www.linkedlocalnetwork.com/;
And follow us on Twitter: @tamaraleighllc; @kimbookless; @heidifeemster; @linkedlocalnet; https://twitter.com/linkedlocalnet
,

Tamara Leigh, Host of Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON LIVE every Wed. @ 10:00am (CST) Founder of Tamara Leigh, LLC, A Communications Expertise Company

Do you have an upcoming event and want it to be better than amazing? Wouldn’t you love to have the epitome of THE Wedding Planner?

Join Tamara Leigh’s TREND ON with Heidi Feemster and our guest extrordinaire, Mr. Lawrence “Larry” Kreiner, Events Director at River Club of Mequon– a conceierge country club just north of Milwaukee, WI.

Mr. Kreiner, the maestro of orchestrating events with symphonic perfection, engages us with his delightful native South African accent and personality in sharing his passion for executing weddings, corporate, and social events to exceed his client’s expectations as he did for the likes of Presidents Clinton and Bush.

Learn from Lawrence what elements make for that perfect, magical celebration within a client’s financial parameters but beyond their dreams. Larry says every event needs four essential elements and must incorporate current trends–which Larry and his team at River Club of Mequon always push to stay ahead of. Kathy Lanser, River Club’s music industry insider with extensive experience in music promotion, works with Larry and River Club clients in creating events that have energy and on-your-feet fun.

Princess Closet, a nonprofit devoted to helping young female Illinois high school students, is making some dreams come true with its third annual “Believe to Achieve” Scholarship Fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday Aug. 24 at 1030 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Sylvia Jones from WLS Channel 7 will be the Master of Ceremonies.

The Elmwood Park-based nonprofit, which began in 2010, created the “Believe to Achieve” Scholarship and the Princess Closet Davalos Memorial ”Spirit of Giving” Scholarship that same year. Each year these scholarships are awarded to two deserving high school or college students who have significantly contributed in their community, and have demonstrated initiative, responsibility, and leadership.

The nonprofit describes itself as being “fairy godmothers” to young women who want to attend their prom but do not have the funds to afford dresses and accessories. Through collected donations, Princess Closet provides all the prom attire needed to transform hundreds of young ladies into the “belles of the ball.”

With the help of volunteers and staff, the nonprofit gives the chance for students to get affordable prom attire through “Once Upon A Prom Dream Boutique” shopping events. In addition, Princess Closet partners with other organizations throughout the community that host prom giveaways and donate dresses and shoes for their events. Currently, Princess Closet has granted 1,625 “prom wishes.”

For information about being a sponsor, donor or volunteer, contact staff at princess.closet@live.com